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everlarkficexchange · 3 years

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The Archer and The Wrestler.

Written by: @thegirlfromoverthepond

Prompt 90: The Olympic committee is selling sponsorships and heavily advertising the upcoming games. The most photogenic of each sport is asked to pose for pics and attend functions, film commercial together, do some interviews. What sports represented by Katniss, Peeta, others? Required to look cozy? Animosity behind those smiles? Competitiveness? Banter? Any secrets? Do they have a “breakfast club” ending? by @567inpanem

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Summary: Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark meet in the office of Trinket Advertising, where they have to shoot pictures for sponsors.

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Thank you @567inpanem for the prompt ! I had fun writing it :) PLus I could place it in my country which is always a plus. I hope you won’t be disappointed …

My deepest thanks to @sunsetsrmydreams for pre reading and betaing.

To @xerxia31 and @javistg thank you for hosting such a nice event … and So sorry for the delay !

__________________

I should be practicing, she thought, instead of pacing the long, white, corridor of Trinket Advertising.

Katniss still had a ton to do for the Games. Be sure to be fit, to be healthy, to be accurate. To shoot straight.

She really didn’t want to spend her afternoon waiting for some photographer to ask her to act natural in front of a camera. But she was just glad she didn’t have to shoot with someone from the team, as she was pretty sure she wouldn’t be able to focus with the constant bickering between Johana and Gale or how Haymitch, their trainer, would “Sweetheart” this or that.

Still no clue as to why she had been picked to be the representative of her sport for the sponsors and advertising. She wasn’t really sure she knew what it entailed, how much time she would spend parading around the media instead of practicing. She knew archery wasn’t such a popular sport in the States, preventing her from spending huge amounts of time in talk shows, or interviews.

Plus, seeing the recognition made Prim, her sister, so proud and happy, Katniss hadn’t been able to turn down the offer when it came.

“Kathy Everdeen? You’re up next.” The assistant’s piercing voice echoed in the long corridor. Katniss closed her eyes, taking a deep breath to not correct the woman.

“Welcome to the Strange Name That Can’t Be Taken Seriously Club.” Another voice, male this time, made her open her eyes.

In front of her was a man of around her age, wearing the male version of the US Olympics shirt she had on..

Only his was stretched across his broad frame, where she was glad hers was loose around her lean body.

He extended his hand.

“Peeta Mellark. Wrestling. Founding member of the club.” She stared at his hand, before moving a step forward to shake it. “You’re the archer ? Katniss right?”

She stopped mid-movement. How could he know her name ?

“I saw your name on the list, so I figured you’d be next ?” He said, almost shyly, as if he had offended her, or invaded her privacy.

She saw the movement of his hand, that she had left unshaken, going to his hair, his fingers raking through his mane of curls.

He had done nothing wrong, she realized, just tried to clear the air. She took a breath, before extending her own hand in front of her.

“Yeah, I’m Katniss. Archery. How much is the subscription to the club?”

He laughed, before shaking her hand.

“How about tea after you’re done ?”

“Too bad I only drink coffee … but I guess if you can wait a bit, that’s doable.” Katniss almost smiled when Peeta started to laugh.

“Oh my goodness, I have a genius idea !” A voice froze their handshaking. “We are going to do pair shootings! Mix the sports together, along with the portraits. It’s going to be legendary !”

A woman with very pink hair matching her very pink outfit stood in the entrance leading towards the studio. As soon as she stopped talking, a flock of what Katniss could only think were assistants came in view, all clapping their hands or praising the Pink Lady.

“Effie, this is another grand idea! We should start right now with these two!” The woman that had misspelled Katniss’ name said, “as they are both here.”

“What are you waiting for, Octavia, take her to make-up right now! I need to call Plutarch, I am having a ton of ideas ! Hush hush, now come on, quickly!”

Katniss saw the assistants moving as one, starting to circle her and Peeta, moving them forward inside the studio, where a couple were checking their cameras and the large umbrellas reflecting the lights.

“Cinna, Portia, I had an epiphany!” The Pink Lady walked towards the couple as quickly as her pencil dress and very high heels allowed her, while Katniss was ushered to the make-up table. She noticed that Peeta was following right behind her, with the other half of the assistants. She met his gaze, saw him shrug before he was taken to another table, shielded from her view by the different makeup and hair artists around them.

“We’ll start with you, Kathy!” Octavia said a few minutes later. Katniss took another deep breath, calming her temper. In just a few minutes, she’ll be gone. Archery wasn’t high on the list of sponsors, nobody cared about them, but for the bow and arrows brands.

Katniss didn’t have time to muse as the sound of Octavia’s heels on the tiling started again. She rose from the chair, following the young woman towards a dressing cabin.

“You’ll find your uniform inside. You’re a S, right?”

“How do you know?” Katniss asked, surprised that the woman guessed correctly.

“I have an eye for that. Plus, it’s written on your card.”

She repressed another eyeroll, trying to keep in mind that Octavia was only doing her job, before she entered the dressing cabin.

White pants, blue polo lined with red, and a white undershirt to protect her arms. The standard equipment.

Yet, it was something to see it, to realize she would represent her country in the most important tournament there could be, that she had achieved one of her goals. To be an Olympian.

She took the polo, turning it slowly, almost afraid to read what was on the back.

Everdeen.

Her father’s name, embroidered in the cotton of the shirt.

Pride rushed through her veins as her fingers traced the letters.

“I did it, Papa. I’m going to the Olympics.”

______________________

It was now official. She hated photoshoots. First, because it was taking an awful lot of time, then because you had to smile. All.the.time. That Katniss hasn’t screamed yet or ran off the door was entirely due to her willpower gained from years of training.

The photographer, Cinna, wasn’t a talker. He was taking his time to snap picture after picture, never acknowledging Octavia or Effie’s advice for her to smile this way, or that way. Because there was apparently a way to smile properly.

She could feel her anger rise with each passing minute, the incessant chatter of the women, the silence of the photographer, the heat from the spotlights, the wind from the huge fans, the itching from the label of the polo on her neck…

“I think it’s time to pair them up.” The photographer’s voice calmly said, silencing the two women.

From being Effie and Octavia, Peeta made his way towards the scene where Katniss was standing.

Before anyone could say a thing, Cinna turned to Effie and his assistant.

“Ladies, can you please check if we have athletes that can be paired tomorrow too? I’m sorry to ask in such short notice, but I think Effie’s idea is something we have to work on.. of course it will mean you change all the schedules..”

“Oh, my, Cinna, but yes, of course! If you think so ? But will you be able to manage with these two?” Effie Trinket asked. Katniss could feel the sharpness of her gaze as the older woman looked at her.

“If there is the slightest problem, I’ll make sure Portia comes to get you.”

“Yes, please. Because if we can manage to pair Brutus and Enobaria, we might be on something, right?”

“Right.” Cinna nodded, before moving towards his material, his back to Katniss as he rummaged through his material.

She looked at her partner in the photoshoot, who seemed as lost as she was. He kept running his hand in his mane of blond hair, before shoving them in his pockets. Seconds after, he was doing the same movements again. She realized she was doing the same, undoing the end of her braid before redoing it, over and over again.

She really couldn’t wait to be out of the studio.

“Will you two stand back to back, please?” Cinna’s voice startled her, even though it was barely over a whisper. “Portia, can you please close the door?”

That’s when she realized how silent the place was without Effie and Octavia. Without their neverending chatter, their disapproving tongue clicks, or their exaggerated sighs.

It almost felt … good.

Almost.

She started to move then, turning her back to Peeta, before crossing her eyes, hoping he would take the hint to do the same. The sooner they were done, the better. She had her bow waiting for her, after all.

She felt the fabric of Peeta’s polo on her arm, yet, never his weight on her back.

She looked at Cinna, who nodded approvingly, before starting to take pictures.

“Should we smile?” She heard Peeta’s deep voice right behind her, asking the question she didn’t dare ask.

“Do what you want, don’t mind me.” the photographer answered behind his material.

“What we want?” Katniss echoed, unsure she had heard correctly. The previous hour had been filled with recommendations on what to do, on poses to take, on how to smile …

Cinna lowered his camera.

“I’m not Effie. Beauty is everywhere, it doesn’t have to be faked by poses or false smiles. Just do what you two want.” He shrugged before checking something on his camera. “I’ll need a few minutes to fix this, try to relax.”

Katniss turned to her partner in shooting, to realize he had already moved and was facing her.

“You told me you were a coffee girl, right?”

“Yup. Black, no sugar.”

“I don’t take sugar in my tea, either. See we have something in common.” Peeta put his hands high. “Oh, no high five ? We’re not close enough yet.”

“Definitely not, singlet boy.”

“Ouch, that hurts. Know, Miss Everdeen, that a lot of women find that uniform .. appealing.” He raised his eyebrows, wiggling them explicitly.

“I bet they do. The main question is, do you have to shave your torso, so your opponent won’t have the opportunity to pull at your chest hair ?”

Katniss didn’t know what came to her to ask such a question. It was like Peeta made it easy for her to talk, when she usually wasn’t famous for speaking or making her voice heard without shouting.

It was like he had a calm, soothing temper, like a lazy river, ready to cover the fire that was in her.

Maybe they made a good pair.

“Yeah, the worst is the wax under the armpit.” He deadpanned, not even letting a smile on his face.

She could totally imagine him taken down to “Beauty Base Zero” as the woman at the beauty parlor had told her the only time she went there. It included all sorts of treatments, each worse than the others. She even told her sister to not gift her with that kind of torture anymore.

“Ouch.. I hope your girlfriend covers you in aloe after that …”

Katniss knew she wasn’t the most girly woman around, yet she sometimes put on mascara or had her legs waxed from time to time, mostly for competitions when she had decided to wear the short-skirts or the long bermudas.

“Well, meet Hanna, my girlfriend.” Peeta said casually, showing his right hand, wiggling his eyebrows - again.

It took Katniss a few seconds to catch up on the double-entendre.

“Oh, my, you’re disgusting!” Her words couldn’t completely hide her smile. There was something to this man that somehow made her want to talk, to speak, to even trust him.

“I bunked with Finnick Odair at the Youth Olympic Games. That was disgusting! He shaves himself ! the room was full of his hair!”

“Well, you could have collected them before putting them on Ebay. You’d be rich by now.”

“I should have, yes. Dam, why didn’t I know you back then to give me good advice!”

“I wasn’t at the YOG.”

“I know, I would have noticed you.”

She looked at him, with questions in her mind. His eyes were blue, so clear nothing was shadowing them, she was left without words.

Click.

—-

Katniss couldn’t believe she was at the Olympics. In Paris, France. That her childhood dream of bringing a golden medal home was nothing but a few arrows away. A lot of stress, too. She raised her bow, lining the target with her eye, throwing a quick glance to the small flags lining the area to check the wind, took a deep breath, before letting go of the arrow.

She knew right away that it would miss the center of the target. A breath of hair on the right, still not enough to get full marks. She had underestimated the wind on this large, open area that the Esplanade des Invalides was.

“Not too bad.” She jumped at the voice behind her. Maybe some kind of volunteer that had been allowed inside the arenas for training. She needed to focus on the target, on the little golden area that would make her mark a ten in the competition.

She took another arrow from the quiver on her left hip, slid it in the bow, looked at the wind, took a deep breath, lifted her weapon, aimed at the target. With the next exhalation of air, she let go of the arrow, knowing right away it would hit the center.

She had never been able to explain how she knew, each and every time how her arrow would behave. It was a feeling, a sensation, deep inside of her.

Thunk !

She looked at the target, saw that indeed the arrow was in the yellow area. She almost let a smile show on her mouth, when the same voice distrubed her again.

“You might win if you shoot like that.”

Katniss closed her eyes, letting a sigh escape before turning to face whoever decided to disturb her training.

“Peeta!” She felt a smile forming on her face. “What are you doing here?”

He shrugged. “I was practising, then decided to go for a walk. It’s Paris after all!”

“Here?” Katniss was pretty sure she hadn’t seen any other sport on the green grass in front of the Invalides.

“Oh, not here here, over there!” Peeta turned, his right hand moving over his shoulder, showing the Eiffel Tower. “Wrestling is on the Champ de Mars, at the feet of the tower”

“Really? You’ll have to tell me when you’re in the tournament. So I can come and see you.”

Peeta’s hand went to his head, his fingers raking through his mane of golden curls.

“You’re sure ? If the press sees you there….”

“I’ll tell them I came to support a friend.”

“But you know how the paparazzi are …”

“We’re in France, not the US, nobody cares about archery or wrestling - no offense intended.”

“None taken.”

Peeta looked around, before coming closer to the barriers surrounding the archery arena, then leaning slightly on them, giving Katniss the opportunity to see the muscles in his forearms. She wondered briefly if he already had his waxing treatment.

“Something on your mind, Everdeen?”

Who was he again? A mind-reader ? She quickly turned her eyes from his arms, not lingering on the broad expense of his chest, or how bright his eyes were.

“Yup. I have to finish training if I don’t want to look too ridiculous when the competition starts.”

“What do you say we try one of these cafés when you’re done?” he casually asked. Katniss could see something in his eyes - was it hope ?

Damn, was he playing unfair by throwing coffee into the mix. As if she was known to refuse a cup.

“I still have a few minutes of practice, maybe a raincheck?”

He shrugged, before looking around. “I’m in no rush. I can wait. Patience is a virtue, young grasshopper.”

She nodded, before taking another arrow out of her quirrel.

“Yes, Sensei.”

The arrow hit the center of the target.

———————–

Katniss knew she shouldn’t be there. Not that she didn’t want to, but after pictures of her and Peeta laughing in a small café had hit the stands, her phone hadn’t stopped beeping, demanding a confirmation if there was something going on between the two of them. That, perhaps, all the rumors that had been born after the photoshoot with Cinna, were not rumors at all.

Effie Trinket was, of course, delighted. Jo wouldn’t stop asking about LoverBoy, Gale was threatening to beat the shit out of Peeta (Katniss was almost ready to let him try to do that), and Haymitch kept on asking her if her little romance would damage her results in the field.

Everything was peachy.

Yet, she couldn’t find it in her to regret the time she had spent with Peeta. She couldn’t remember the last time she had laughed so much, that she had been able to confide to someone as she had done with him, how he had been open to her too. Like two old friends rekindling a friendship after spending years apart.

Friends they could have been, they had realized when discussing their native places. They had grown up about a hundred miles apart, in the same district of West Virginia. They could have crossed paths about a dozen times, sharing memories of the Meadow Park, where they both had spent time, Katniss had even worked there when they were younger.

Sometime during their afternoon chat, a photographer had spotted them, recognized them, and snapped pictures.

That was a trending subject on Twitter minutes later, before someone even created a ship name for them. The hashtag #Everlark trended for more than a day.

Katniss had pushed her phone away, blocked all the numbers she didn’t know, called Peeta to apologize, before focusing solely on her training.

Her perfect plan had crumbled in hours, when Peeta had caught her in the Victor’s Village Cafeteria, explaining how he was sorry for everything, as the idea of coffees had been his.

They had ended up sharing a meal with Gale and Jo, as well as some of Peeta’s teammates, who kept joking about the Everlark hashtag. In a matter of two hours Katniss was laughing with them, the pain of Effie’s scheme forgotten.

That was why she was currently in the corridors of the Arena where Judo and Wrestling competitions were being held. Her own tournament was starting in two days and Katniss would rather watch sports she didn’t understand, then stay in her room, anxiously waiting for her turn to compete.

Maybe it was time for her to play team mate too. She had put on her US Team attire, gotten her accreditations cards, before jumping into one of the buses that led her to the Champ de Mars.

She hadn’t seen Peeta since breakfast the morning before, when she had forgotten to ask him if he was still okay for her to come.

The building was elegantly sitting on the green grass. In the back, she could see the Eiffel Tower, all dressed up in her beauty and dignity.

In a few minutes she had found the hall with the wrestlers, and a seat in the ranks reserved for athletes. She recognized Thom and Thresh, two of Peeta’s teammates, who waved at her. She talked to them for a few minutes, learning their categories were competing in the coming days.

“Peeta should be in two matches.” Thresh informed her as she sat on the plastic seat. “He should make it to the quarters easily. After…”

“After?” She asked, unsure what THresh meant.

“After, in the quarters he should face Katø, the Russian. A beast. “

“A beast?”

“Yeah, 164 pounds of malice and nastiness.”

“Charming… Maybe someone will eat this Katø first ?”

Thresh shook his head.

“Na, not with this draw. His first worthy opponent will be Peeta.”

She looked at Thresh, thinking back to the afternoon she had spent with Peeta, remembering what he had told her.

She couldn’t remember the last time she had laughed so much, her cheeks still hurt. They had walked away from the Olympic Archery range, following the banks of the Seine, looking at the amazing monuments, walking by the Musee d’Orsay that Peeta had told her he wanted to visit.

They had crossed the river on a wooden bridge only for pedestrians, walked along the Louvre, until they had found a small café near the Palais Royal where they were still sitting.

“You all have bread names? Why? “

Peeta shrugged, before leaning down a little on the metallic table, as if he was about to confide his deepest secret.

“We own a bakery, back in Panem. Maybe one day, I’ll tell you my real name …”

She laughed, leaning over the table too. She felt bold enough to run her hand on his definitely toned forearm, letting her finger wander up to his shoulder.

She saw the color of his eyes change from crystal blue to a darker shade, heard him take a breath in.

But Katniss was on a mission.

She leaned closer to him, her hand coming closer to his neck, her nimble fingers playing with the collar of his shirt.

She could feel him tense under her touch, and lifted her eyes, to find his locked on her, as if he wanted to get lost in her. It took Katniss a few seconds to return to her task. With a movement of her wrist, she grabbed his accreditation cards, pulling them over his head before leaning back into her seat.

“That’s disappointing, actually. Your name is Mark ? Mark Mellark ?”

“Because your name is really Katniss?”

She put down his accreditations, took hers from around her neck, holding them out to him. He took them with a smirk before looking at the name written on them.

“Your name is really Katniss?”

“Yep. My mom’s Lily, my dad is Alon, and my sister is Primrose. You’re a bread family, we are a plant family.” She snatched the cards from his hands. “ You’re lucky you didn’t bet a thing, Mark Mellark.”

“Don’t call me Mark.” He grumbled, leaning back onto his chair.

“Well, then if you don’t want the world to call you Mark, you know what’s left to do, Mellark!”.

She casually put down his cards on the table, taking her time to lean back too.

“Oh? And that would be, Sensei ?”

“Easy, Grasshopper. Make sure you don’t get a medal.”

“That, Robin Hood, is not an option.”

The steadiness, the certainty of his voice made her shiver. Or maybe it was the wind, coming from large trees nearby. Surely the trees, she thought.

“I mean,” he started “ we all came here for a reason, and it’s not to give someone else our place on the podium. Plus with all the visibility we have this year, we have to give it our best, right?”

She nodded. That was what they had to do, what they had trained for, what they were in France for.

“Katniss?” Thom’s voice took her out of her memories.

“Sorry, I was lost in thoughts.”

“Look down, on the mat. The guy in blue? It’s Katø.”

“That’s a man? He looks like a mountain of muscles …”

“Well, he is a mountain of muscles … “ The referee interrupted Thom’s sentence with the start of the first period. “That won’t take long, he isn’t known for dancing around.”

Katniss watched as the blond man, so different from Peeta rushed into his opponent, pinning him on the mat in a few seconds.

“Told you. That lasted 25 seconds, he won’t be tired for the next round.” Thom said. “Peeta’s next.”

Katniss nodded searching the ground until she spotted him, wearing a red singlet.

“Why is he wearing red ? Blue is a better color for him.” She asked, her eyes trained on the now familiar figure walking towards the mat. Damn, these singlets left little to the imagination. To say they were fit-forming was the understatement of the year. She could see all the lines of Peeta’s muscles moving as he approached the fighting zone.

“Because he’ll be the first one called. It’s the rules.” She turned towards Thresh, who had the biggest smile on his face she’d ever seen him don.

“Why are you smiling?” She was wondering what had been so funny in her words.

“‘Blue is a better color for him’ - you sound like -”

“Be careful, Thresh. She shoots arrows…” Thom interrupted. “Now if you want to see Peeta wrestle, maybe you can look at the mat ?”

With a last threatening glance towards Thresh that was met with another huge smile and air kisses, Katniss turned towards the arena, noticing how different Peeta’s posture was from Katø’s.

“He’s going to tire the Georgian who isn’t as flexible as he is. And as soon as there will be an opening, he’ll go for it.” Thom explained, as she watched the complicated dance of joint locks, takedowns, and other things she had no idea what they were.

“This must be exhausting…” she whispered, as she saw Peeta finally going for the pin, immobilizing his opponent on the mat.

“Well, it’s not crochet that’s for sure!” Thresh chimed into her thoughts as the crowd applauded the winner of the match.

This was going to be a long day.

__________________

She needed to focus, now. Forget she was in the final of the Olympic Archery Tournament. Forget her dream was an arrow away. Forget she needed a nine to win the gold.

She had to remember the wind, how it came lightly from the right to the left, how she needed to bend the trajectory just a little. She had to calm her beating heart.

To forget Peeta was in the stands, watching. Katniss had cheered him on as he won his own gold medal two days ago, but now it was her moment.

She needed to forget.

The way he had chased her when she tried to make a quiet exit.

To forget how they had kissed.

Their own celebration.

She had to clear her mind of all this.

Forget. Focus.

A deep breath.

Visualizing the arrow hitting the center of the target.

The chronometer was ticking. Tick. Tock.

It was her last arrow. Her concurrents had already shot their own.

She needed a nine.

Only twelve seconds remain.

She rose her bow.

Eleven seconds.

Remembered her father’s proud look when she had won her first trophy.

She let the arrow fly.

She knew it would be a ten.

She had won the gold.

She fell to her knees, feeling the tears pooling in her eyes.

“I did it, Papa, I won … I hope you’re proud..”

The applause around her made her lift her head, then stand up, before she ran towards the stands, her bow still in hand, her eyes fixed on a figure that was coming down the stairs, towards her.

She felt his arms around her as he hugged her over the bleachers, felt his hands going to her face as he looked into her eyes.

“You remember to shoot straight, Grasshopper…” he whispered, for the two of them only.

“Yes, Sensei”, she replied before kissing him.

Click.

FIN

#thegirlfromoverthepond #567inpanem #prompt 90 #Springtime Edition 2021 #submission

98 notes · View notes

seven-oomen · 4 years

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Okay, I’ve managed to scrape back up some of the thoughts that were drifting in and out yesterday. I was trying to think of stuff I remembered from high school (what hasn’t been lost to an ADD haze at this point anyway) that might be interesting/cute to see crop up in the prequel. For example; we know Peter played basketball, but did he or anyone else participate in any other extracurriculars or sports? Student council? Debate team? Academic team? French club? Band/orchestra/choir? Cross country/Track? Ecology club? Gay/Straight Alliance? Martial arts? Science club? Softball? Pagan Student Union (I think that might have been a college thing, but whatever)? Art club? Cheer/gymnastics? Other things I’m forgetting right now?

Speaking of Peter and basketball- Did the gang ever go to his games? Did he have supportive sports boyfriends; did they make cute signs or run to hug him if Beacon Hills won? (Did we ever find out Peter’s jersey number? I legit can’t remember.) Did he bother to get a letterman jacket? If so, did he give it to either of the boys? (Or did he just get two? I forget how/when you got patches, I wasn’t much for that sort of thing. I think maybe I got one for softball at some point?) I love him with the leather jacket, I just thought it was a cute image. Did they get class rings (and exchange them)?

Also, yearbooks. Who all actually had their picture in the yearbook? Did Peter shake his hair over his eyes to block the weird reflective thing (and would that work)? Did they pop up in any group shots or candid pics? I had a mental image of a shot from some sort of home game, maybe for football, or girl’s basketball, or something, of the group of them clustered on the bleachers; Peter between Chris and Noah, with an arm thrown around each’s shoulders, his smiling face pressed into one of them’s hair (I can’t decide which) partially to prevent any reflection, partially just because; Chris holding the hand Peter has wrapped around him with one hand and with the other stretched across to rest on Noah’s knee, smiling in the genuine yet vaguely stilted way of someone who’s not used to being this happy yet; Noah with one arm wrapped around Peter’s waist, his other hand resting on the one Chris has on his knee, staring at the camera with an amused grin that’s flirting right on the edge of a smirk; Claudia cuddled up to Noah’s side, both hands wrapped around the top his nearest arm, head leaning against his shoulder, grin clear and bright and open; Melissa next to her, arms enveloping Claudia in a loose hug, camera catching her mid-laugh. (God, I really wish I had something approaching passable art skills at times like these.) Maybe the kids find a copy of that yearbook in the school library, and make framed copies of the picture for Melissa and their dads for a gift.

Do you have any plans to cover Prom? Or any school dance (Homecoming, maybe?), really, Prom is just the big one. Because part of me with never be over the ridiculousness of that scene with Peter and Allison at Macy’s (as cute as it is). Random middle-aged dude walks up to teenage girl and starts offering her unsolicited fashion advice (as part of an intimidation tactic against her boyfriend, no less), and she not only is not worried or weirded out in the slightest, but she actively takes his advice and buys the dress he suggests. (I legit laughed so hard I snorted when I realized it was the same dress.) (Momentary segue: Do you think she ever described the encounter to Chris? Peter just gets a random angry text one day from an unknown number that just says “Stay the hell away from my daughter!” and he just knows, so he sends back “Don’t blame me, her selections were utterly abysmal. Didn’t your wife run a boutique or something? You’d think she’d have taught her better." Chris never does answer back.) But anyway, yes, school dances with that group could be entertaining. Sneaking off (for various reasons), special song dedications, spiking the punch with assorted substances, inappropriate dancing under the cover of semi-darkness. Lots of potential shenanigans.

Also can’t wait to find out more about how everybody met. One of the things I love about long-running series is being able to go back and compare where characters began their relationships versus where they end up. We’ve seen how Chris met the boys, but not Claudia or Melissa. (Did he already know Melissa? Was she still a hunter at that point?) We know how Noah and Claudia met, but not how Peter and Noah met, or Peter and Claudia, or how any of them met Melissa. Plus all the potential bonus drama because of the supernatural issues involved. When did Claudia and Peter realize what Elias was really like? (Did Claudia ever give either of the other boys a "shovel talk”?) How did Melissa’s relationship with Rafael develop? How did the rest of the gang get along with the assorted Hales (or did they know them at all)? And re: the preview for it you posted - what kind of car does Peter have, and can you comfortably fit three growing boys in the back seat? (I do occasionally remember to ask the important questions, lol.) Is the Jeep still Claudia’s here? What kinds of vehicles, if any, do the others have? (Can you tell I’m excited about the prequel?)

Bonus thought from last night -

Me: *trying desperately to fall asleep so the day can just be over*

My brain: So what about a vaguely, very loosely Breakfast Club inspired Chris/Noah/Peter fic? Like, Chris could be Emilio Estevez’s character, and Noah could be Judd Nelson’s, because Andrew’s damage is more internally focused (I can’t live up to my father’s expectations because I’m not good enough), where as Bender’s is more externally focused (I’m pissed that my dad treats me this way because he’s an asshole, but also secretly worry I actually deserve it). Peter could be Claire; popular, charming, probably more intelligent than they let on, emotionally distant and neglected. Claudia’s probably the best fit for Allison, although you could maybe make Melissa work. Finstock is totally Brian. Could we shove Harris back in time to make him Dean Vernon? It’s fic, you can totally do that sort of thing, right? I mean, you’re already planning to completely redo the relationships, so who cares, right? Who would be Carl, though?

Me: FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, BRAIN, NOT NOW!!! PLEASE JUST SHUT UP AND GO TO SLEEP ALREADY, I’M BEGGING YOU!! NOW IS NOT THE TIME! WE CAN THINK ABOUT THIS TOMORROW!

My brain: …okay but seriously; Peter in a peach colored v-neck and overly snug khakis, Chris in that wrestling top, Noah in the trenchcoat and plaid… Do you think Peter could do that lipstick trick with a chapstick?…

Me: AAAAUUUUGGHH!!!

(Thankfully, sleep was at least eventually had.)

I’m glad you’re feeling better today, and hope that work was busy enough to pass the time quickly without being overwhelming, and blissfully free of excessive stupid people. As someone else stuck in the world of heat, storms, and humidity, you have my sympathy. Sending hugs and cooling vibes!

Alright so I finally got some time to sit down (or lie down technically) for this and go through it. I’m excited!

we know Peter played basketball, but did he or anyone else participate in any other extracurriculars or sports? Student council? Debate team? Academic team? French club? Band/orchestra/choir? Cross country/Track? Ecology club? Gay/Straight Alliance? Martial arts? Science club? Softball? Pagan Student Union (I think that might have been a college thing, but whatever)? Art club? Cheer/gymnastics? Other things I’m forgetting right now?

I think Chris was a cheerleader at some point. He wanted to join gymnastics like in his old school, but BH didn’t have a separate gymnastics team, so he joined the cheerleaders instead. His dancing skills are abysmal, but he makes up for it with gymnastic skills, strength, and agility.

Peter’s on the student council I like to think he would do well as the secretary but I also feel like he’d definitely try to run for president.

Noah’s on the Martial Arts team (couldn’t resist) and I like to think he’d participate in the ROTC, as he served in the military in canon. (Obviously due to having children at 17, he never enlisted in this Au.) But the prepping definitely happened.

Chris would also join the swim team, which is a nod to Jackson joining later in Once Upon a Time.

And oh yeah, they went to every game. Chris as a cheerleader and Noah was up in the stands with signs for every single game. Claudia and Melissa often came with. Whenever BH won, Chris would run out and ‘cheer’ the star player, which was almost always Peter, and lift him up on his shoulders.

I don’t think there’s a canon answer for Peter’s Jersey Number. I’ve seen some places sell a shirt with 01 on it, but I kinda wanna say it’s 15. Due to his birthday being May 15 in this au. (Chris’s is July 22nd, Noah’s is September 14th.)

I feel like Peter got a class ring, maybe Noah, but Chris didn’t bother. It would just be one more thing his father could potentially take from him and he wouldn’t need something like that to remember the other two by. He already has the Triskelion necklace. As for the letterman jacket, I think Peter definitely got one, as did Noah. Chris once again skipped it, probably because he still felt like they might move at a moment's notice and he didn’t want to bother with all of these things.

Omg, my heart...

yes to all of this. Seriously <3

Do you have any plans to cover Prom? Or any school dance (Homecoming, maybe?),

I do. In both stories. The canon school dance in Once Upon a Time. And the prequel will feature either a homecoming dance or prom. The potential for drama there is too good to pass up on.

Also, Peter giving fashion advice to the girls is way too funny because of course, he would. And to some of the guys as well. Seriously McCall... that’s what you’re going with?? Wear a fucking tux for Mel, jfc...

I feel really bad, but I actually never saw the Breakfast club, though it sounds like a really dope movie. And those visuals are very nice visuals ^^

I’m also writing all of these questions down for the prequel. XD This is awesome writing fuel <3

No but seriously, I don’t say this often enough, but you are awesome and I adore you <3

Thanks for sticking with me and this au for so long already, I love talking to you.

#ben says stuff #once upon a time comments #life unfolds in chapters comments #submission

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vainwin · 5 years

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Happy N7 Day

mass effect is defiantly one of my favourite games ever. a friend persuaded me to play it after i time after time said i wouldn’t like it. guess who was wrong oops ! iv never liked anything sci-fi so the fact that mass effect deeply affected me is amazing ! the story, characters, scenes etc all of it has stuck with me since playing the entire series a year ago (yes im late to the game) what i loved the most is how we all had a different Shepard and story to them.

in my game after Shepard touched the distress beam/signal she gained the power to travel back in time i.e previous save file. i never abused this with like massive situations like if a character died etc. however when i started the game i didn’t have liara yet and decided to romance kaiden thinking there was no women options for me. once i met her i knew she was the one. unfortunately by the time I went for her she was under the impression that me and Kaiden were a thing and that i had no interest in women (can i just say that broke my heart when she thought that’s) so for the first time ever i went back a save file... only, my last save file was 5hrs of progress. i always use at least one save file , i hate having loads. but this was perfect for my time travelling Shepard as i could redo the missions, one which Wrex ended up being murdered by Ashley. so this time i managed to save him (which im glad for because the later games were better with him alive) and romance Liara fully.

however once i got to Mass Effect 2 (SPOILER) with Shepard dying and coming back to life i decided she could no longer travel back in time since technically it wasn’t her body or mind etc. so every decision mattered. but she suffered from trauma from Mass Effect 1 because of all the time travel she did. (this didn’t happen in game just what i liked to imagine) she would try so hard to save so many people by going back that it kinda got to her mentally. she lived another life where she did give kaiden a chance whilst knowing Liara was actually her true love. one life where Wrex died. but on her finale travel back (where she romanced Liara and the Normandy was taken down by the collectors which started off Mass Effect 2) she could no long time travel. it did skew with her mind though because she wasn’t sure what was real and what wasn’t. but Liara was there for her no matter what and helped Shepard piece everything together.

(SPOILER FOR THE LAST GAME ENDING) we all knew Shepard was gonna die in the last game. i hated it so much because you worked so hard but it was such a fitting end for her. she literally saved the universe. that special scene with Liara just before you do the finale mission honestly made me tear up. i like to imagine that Shepard was still a part of the universe and Liara managed a way to speak to her through it. but i’m just glad to know that their love was eternal and the strongest there’d ever been.

thank you Mass Effect, i really hope more story driven games like that come out soon. and thank you to anyone who read my long af ramble... aha

#mass effect #N7 day #commander shepard #liara t'soni #long post #writing

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sanrosa · 3 years

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10:43pm

A month ago, exactly a month ago, I would not have imagined being in the position I am right now. Because a month ago, I still had uni assignments that were still due, I was still living with my one sister and mom, I had just applied for a learnership which I had hoped and prayed so much for - feeling optimistic because of the responses I gave for the interview, I still had a learner's licence that was about to expire and I was blatantly waiting for it to expire because there was no hope whatsoever anymore that I would get a test before it expires (my punctuality cost me a great amount), I still did not know how I'd really execute my vision of getting into the scenes and finally officially put myself out there as a rapper/artist, I still did not know either how I'd take advantage of the platforms I had initiated but did not carry on with (my blogs, youtube channels, twitter accounts, instagram, etc.) and I still had no full set idea of what I was going to do this year, like exactly what I'm working towards by the end of this unexpected gap year. This was all me, a month ago.

A month later... so much has changed, I'm quite amazed. So... I never quite really finished the assignments on time, and well, in summary: I failed. The hour I spent after reading that email, that hour- in pure shock, is one I will never quite forget. How I had emotions too many, yet none. A state of confusion, shock, heartbreak, deep sadness, then numbness, then acceptance, then happiness, then relief and joy. All in a matter of minutes. At the same time, I was trying not to feel either. I convinced myself that it is not that deep, I am strong and I will get through this. Because in a way, I had also expected it, the way things were going. I could not have expected that I pass with flying colours when the effort I was putting was minimal to none. Literally doing things last minute. So, while I was surprised at failing for the first time in my life academically, I honestly did not have anything or anyone else to blame but myself. The responsibility was completely my own and it is in my doing and way of handling my time that I succumbed to this position (of failure). So, yes, I do know that I am at fault. But fr, it just could not erase the fact that I was in shock hey. But I did move on from that rather quickly. And what I took from that moment were two things... A big lesson, and a big advice. The biggest lesson was (and will continue to be, until I truly learn and master it) - How to take control of my time and manage it efficiently! There will not a lesson as big as this one right here for me. Because it has become my biggest weakness and starting to become my most wounding one, unless I start acting right and learn it. I've been losing too much and too many precious things (opportunities, assets, beautiful moments) to my lack of time management skills. And it hurts! So I have no choice anymore other than to fully commit myself to respecting, cherishing and managing my time the way I'm supposed to, to get to exactly where I want to be. And well, I guess I'd say the advice is actually also in this lesson; Practice, practice, practice! Master the art of doing something when I need to and am able to. There's no better time than now. Anyways, next. Well, just a month ago I thought I'd be living with my sister for the year. But, my aunt and cousin came to visit for a weekend, and my cousin did not have a place to stay yet for his school year (res) so we found out he'll be staying with us. For a month. Jiki-jiki, a month later.. Both my sister and my cousin have left. Gone to their residences and off living their lives. As if I expected that?? I should've, right? No. Because my sister never actually said anything about leaving, and I genuinely thought my cousin was actually going to stay like a bit longer because who starts staying in a place in like the middle of the month, you know? So here I am now, lonely and sad they're both gone and I'm just left with my mother, who besides being a really cool and sweet human, likes to naaagg! about almost anything around the house. from the table not being wiped properly, to the windows, to the curtains, to the food and the way it was cooked, to the. Which, I'm not gonna lie, I understand as she is a black parent. I dislike it (extremely), but I do understand. I mean in any case, she probably has a lot of stress already so this is like her way of taking it out I guess (and lmao that is actually exactly what goes through my mind when she nags. I bounce her energy off, and not let it interfere with my energy, by keeping in mind that she's just trying to air out her 'boiling' thoughts, so i should not let it get to my emotions so that I have a bad vibe because the vibe that's been created. and it works like a charm). At the same time though, I'm not trying to paint a picture of her as an extremely 'complaintive' person lol, it's just i think that i'm not used to this energy anymore. I left the nest last year. Now that I've come back, I'm not sure how the hell I was able to handle such energy... cause it is lame as hell. But anyways, my point actually was how sad I am that my sis and cousin left. So abruptly even. Man. At least my cousin (who actually just left this morning) did leave me with something valuable. A truly valuable gift. He taught me how to make a beat. Just a day ago I didn't know practically anything about making beats. Not even the names of the types of instruments (snares, kicks, hi-hats, melodies). But now, I feel like I've unlocked a whole new world of understanding music. Cause now it feels like I even know exactly what went into the beats that these famous artists (Drake, Kanye, Nicki, PND, Cardi) use for the songs. Of course not exactly what they used, but more or less how they made it. And it looks easier now. My journey on being a rapper now looks more lit up cause bitch I'll even be producing my own hits now. Ah! Lol but okay, honestly, that was fire. And I'm truly and eternally grateful he helped with that. I hope he has a blessed year. Alright... next. (sigh) The learnership. Actually this one kinda still hurts deeply so I won't get too in detail about it, but... I did not get the learnership. Though I genuinely felt like I fit the criteria perfectly when I applied, as well as living very near to the workplace. Heaven only knows why I would be given such an opportunity and have the strength to actually take it, yet the outcome is a complete flop. Like I am honestly trying to understand why I even saw the ad in the first place... At such perfect timing (cause I was not going to be taking a gap year this year anyways)... All to just give me unnecessary hope? Why?? Why break my heart like that??? But ok yeah ... Life and shit. Anyways, the learner's licence. Haha, this one is quite interesting actually. Because to be truly honest, I had almost forgotten that I had a learner's licence. And I think it's because in my mind I had obtained the learner's, took driving lessons and had already planned to take the driver's test in PE, however I was in Gtown for most of last year, so it seemed like something that could not happen until I fully got back to PE, which was December. December came and went with all the fun I had and it completely slipped my mind that I could take lessons and a driver's test during the time. Came beginning of January, I'm preparing for school. Still no 'go book a test' in mind, until the middle/end of January (when it became final that I was not going to school this year) and I thought 'oh damn, this would be the perfect time to actually take lessons and book a test then'. Only to find out I am too darn late; the DLTC is all booked out. Oh, how I regretted wasting my time on idk what. 🙂💔 Fortunately, I was not too bummed out, considering I have another whole year to redo this then. Unfortunately, I stumbled upon a post by one of my favourite artists right now, Saweetie, and found out that she is doing a giveaway (brave of me to enter that world again, I know. I don't know what's my problem really) and well, I decided to enter it. Thing is though, it's a giveaway for a whole Tesla. Yes bitch, a whole entire mthrfking TESLA. And my ass is smart enough to think I would win it lol. Okay, God bless my heart. Anyways, so the catch is.... You need a driver's licence. OBVI! But I don't have one. YET! So, uhm, *cough cough* let me f**king book for learner's as soon as the day it expires!... Okay, done! Now let's go take the test 6 days later!... Okay, done! We passed... Done! Wooh. Now let's book for a driver's test as soon as you get home from writing the test cause we excited asf!... LMAO done! Now let's make sure it's a good date and good time astrologically too (cause that lowkey was the case with you writing the learner's test and boom you passed, even tho you didn't even check).... Done! Okay, we almost there, now go book for lessons at One Way (I'm sure they'll have spots for you cause it's a whole month and 3 days before you take your test lmao).... Done! Yay! I have a whole month to practice. Let's get it! Okay well, that's where I stand so far. Tuesday I'm then going to pay the booking fee and stuff. Then, take lessons from both the driving school and with my mother. Then take the test on Weed Day lmao. So after the test I smoke one up and celebrate victory. 😄 All in due time for the giveaway closing after two days. Wows. Whether I win the giveaway or not though, I'll just be glad that it seriously inspired me this much to finally get a driver's licence. Like, it genuinely pushed me hey. So boom I was able to get a licence this year 😁 Urrrniways... Next. My vision. Oh my dear vision. To be a well known female rapper. Beeeen hiding behind the scenes, you'd never know what I'm up to, whether I'm working, I'm playing, I'm being boring, I'm having a blast... or even having a child, chile (lmao). But one thing's for sure, I am still alive. Okay. And I'm just about to be more alive, and you'll even feel more alive... when my ass starts dropping things. Yasss honeyy, dropping my name, dropping that ass, dropping these beats, dropping this sass. Oh shit, here's the real her. Yes, hi. I been working, and I been playing, now let's get to showinnngg.😁 Lol, okay but on the real. A month ago, I really did not know how to execute my vision. In some parts I still don't really, like the cover for my debut EP (photography-wise), who to really contact for first edition EP-listening, and how much it would completely cost to distribute this whole idea/vision (which I'm actually going to have to start becoming my own professional accountant). But in some parts I now do, including important parts like GETTING THE MIC (😪😁 finally! and guess when it came? March 16th. always a special day for me this one), knowing how to produce my own beats here and there (finally 😁), and how exactly to market to a large number of people (😆more views and stuff), then perhaps less important stuff like the outfit I will wear for my very first performance lmao, and posting my stuff on instagram and tiktok (unexpectedly actually), and actually understanding and lowkey connecting with underrated rappers/singers. It's a pretty dope world to see tbh. Overrall... Babbyy, I see you the see the vision now. It's an exciting time to be in. (Side-note: Lmao I highkey lowkey think the moon being in Gemini just impacted me now. cause suddenly I'm on some other mood within writing this post. lmao shit changed quite drastically than when I began writing). Anyways, next. Last but not least... Taking advantage of these platforms, in conjunction with what exactly I will be doing this year. So, a month ago, I had almost forgotten about my astrology blog. Well, let me actually put it this way... I started to kinda cringe at the thought of my blog because it had been a while since I'd posted, so I wasn't too keen on going on to tumblr again. All the notifs, inboxes and deep cringe from noticing how it's been almost 5 months since I last posted something. Likkke... girl, is you serious or not? Lol, but then... an idea got blessed in my head on the 4th of March (a beautiful idea that will start commencing very soon)... How about I start a small business? :? Selling..... Merch. Based on astrology.😁 It is one heck of a win-win situation for me and the people getting interested in astrology now. But of course... I need an audience to sell to. So, (to the Heavens I thank for the day I randomly posted some astrology thing here on tumblr and it actually blew up and I did not even expect that), now I have some people to at least engage and connect with for this business. And I thank the Heavens even more that my idea somehow got transferred into my mom's head and she popped up a question of "Don't you wanna start selling stuff?" or something like that. And hell to yes, I grabbed that opportunity like no other! (but fr, I was shocked first. like what? you read my mind or sumn?) Lol, and so... Mi lady and I talked business and how she'd invested a K for me to check if I'd really be able to handle it. (Oh and perhaps I might add, my dad also did 'invest' a K for me in terms of my music... cause I was able to buy a mic with the money he gave me. Yes, yes, a whole K went into a mic). So I can only genuinely thank God for the people in my life, and how this path is going for me right now. Like, wow. But yeah. Technically, I haven't received the K from Mi lady yet, but that is good because I'd like to get in touch (and get bigger) with my tumblr astro fam again. Then in a couple of weeks, we officially commence. Just in time for me having a driver's licence. So, things can be easier for me pushing my business. :') Lord God, You are great. The greatest. Otherwise... yeah, then other stuff ke like really building my niche on instagram (posting pics and stuff), starting a music/astrology channel on YouTube (which I released my first video today 😁), and already officiated handles on twitter and insta. I'm not too sure if I care about facebook tbh. but yeah, then all that's left is the website itself and a professional email address. then, digitally, we up!

So yeah man... wooh, what a month passing by. never would've thought of all of these things happening. but I can only thank Lord God because it's none other than His doing that's helping me with all of this. Like I actually cannot explain how grateful I am for how kind and amazing He has been to me. and the fact that I'm able to see and understand why these things are happening. some making me really sad, but it's all just to introducing the next that will make me really happy. I am truly blessed man. wow.

God, I thank you. With all my heart and being. All my existence and soul. I thank you.

#strawberry mint series

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kingofthewilderwest · 7 years

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What do you think of Viggo´s supposed death? The noise he made when falling and the complete lack of dramatic element regarding it make me think he is as dead ad Dagur. It would not surprise me to watch Hiccup attending that Maces and Talons match only to find Viggo has already won and greets him with open arms and something in the line of "My dear Hiccup, it is such a pity you couldn´t arrive earlier. I truly was hoping to compete against you"against you"

Hello, hello! Thank you so much - I’m doing well! I’m moving into a new apartment and it’s slowly coming together. :)

[Quick note on the damselstrid (continued from this post) before I chat about Viggo: The way I usually see Damselstrid dialogue occur within the Hiccstrid community is that either the individual doesn’t mind or they are very frustrated with the portrayal (I see much more of the latter on my dashboard). So I understand what you mean, yeah! It’s frustrating for all of us. As you saw in my previous post, I agree that it’s something that should be addressed and corrected in later seasons. I also guess I’m glad I helped illuminate the sexism within RTTE? The sad thing is I could continue elaborating with many more points… but I hope that, at least with pointing out some of the things, people can be aware it’s there. As much as I love the show, and as much as I will continue to love the show, it’s always good to be aware of the areas in which the show could use improvement, especially in areas of representation.]

As far as Viggo is concerned, I personally actually really hope he’s dead. As much as I love the mind games that Viggo has, and as much as I think he is a unique villain within the HTTYD realm, I don’t think that bringing him “back from the dead” would be the best choice of narrative. Even though there is a point to be made that his death feels, in many ways, anticlimactic and lacking in drama, I also feel as though it would be a poor choice in other writing respects to bring him back. Here are my main reasons why:

1. Back-from-the-dead tropes get old fast.2. Viggo might have a disproportionate number of screen time otherwise.3. Still being alive would be unrealistic.4. Viggo’s ending is fitting to his flaws.5. RTTE S4 wraps up basically everything with the Viggo plot arc.

1. Back-from-the-dead tropes get old fast

Fake deaths are a common narrative device in fiction used to build tension and create audience surprise. When done correctly, it can evoke shock, excitement, or a host of other suddenly-jarred emotions. Correctly done faked deaths can really get the audiences excited. When done incorrectly, though, it can feel like a very worn-out plot device… especially since it is a common trope.

It’s to note that repeating tropes within a single story - especially tropes with these sorts of high-drama elements - tend to wear out and annoy audiences. It’s not a good plot element to recycle and keep redoing; if ever done, it should be done once for optimal effect. Otherwise, you cheapen both the first faked death and the second, make the plot of the story predictable and repetitive, and rely too heavily on tropish plot devices to carry the narrative “forward.”

RTTE writers have already implemented the back-from-the-dead trope once. It’s what happened with Dagur in S3 to S4. We never saw Dagur’s body at the end of his “death scene” in S3′s Family on the Edge, and indeed, he comes back in the fourth season alive and well. Now, if Viggo came back from the dead, not only would we recycle the same overdramatic plot device… but we’d be pulling the same stunt with two characters in back-to-back seasons. At this point, it would feel much like a worn-out, recycled plot device… rather than giving us some new, more novel twists and turns.

I would MUCH more prefer that Viggo - and Ryker - stay dead for that narrative reason alone.

2. Viggo might have a disproportionate number of screen time otherwise.

I’ve always found it interesting how long a character stays an antagonist in the DreamWorks Dragons shows. The writers tend to have a set time frame in which the villain interacts with Hiccup before we move onto some new enemy. To recapitulate how long villains stayed in conflict with Hiccup:

Mildew: 1 season (ROB; 2 seasons, counting brief appearances in DOB)

Alvin: 2 seasons (ROB and DOB)

Dagur: 3 seasons (DOB, RTTE S1, RTTE S2).

Ryker: 3 seasons (RTTE S2-S4)

Viggo: 3 seasons (RTTE S2-S4)

Now, it is to note that RTTE seasons are half the length of ROB and DOB seasons, and that he only appears visually on screen at the end of RTTE S2… but we still get about the same amount of screen time per villain. At the moment, we have a pretty decent pattern in which the villains come, wreak havoc, but end their plot arcs before their presence gets worn out. We don’t drag out the villain plot arcs in the DreamWorks Dragons franchise.

Now, if we have Viggo return in Seasons 5 and 6, then he would disproportionately dominate much of the narrative throughout the HTTYD franchise. It might feel a little odd that this villain, whose presence has been keenly felt since RTTE S2, would be so prevalent, while the other antagonists would have a disproportionately lesser time being the bad guy.

So purely from a sake of balance, it’d be better for Viggo to be dead, too.

3. Still being alive would be unrealistic.

Race to the Edge is hardly accurate in how it portrays volcanoes. Oh goodness, it is very inaccurate in how it portrays volcanoes. That said, having a character seem to fall down into a volcano still seems like a sure way to perish. We could suggest Viggo grabs onto the side of the cliff or something like that, but regardless, chances of survival are extraordinarily, extraordinarily slim for him. It’s extremely likely he dies here.

Now, people could point out, “We don’t SEE him dead.” Yes, that is true. Nevertheless, would this show actually show a dead character on screen? Would they actually show the character getting impaled or hitting the lava or something else horrendous and graphic like that? Probably not. They’re going to show a character falling down into what should be a sure death without showing their actual death. Sort of like what just happened with Viggo.

Especially given as we see Hiccup watch Viggo fall, and Hiccup’s right there with his eyes glued on the volcano… it makes it a little hard to say that Viggo made it out alive. Look at Hiccup’s horrified expression. It seems he witnessed something directly.

Of course, this doesn’t have to mean that Viggo is dead, but the most they will ever show on screen I believe - for a children’s show like this - is an implied death with the camera focused on the individual (Hiccup) watching it.

4. Viggo’s ending is fitting to his flaws.

One of the things I have always been curious about was how Hiccup and Viggo’s intelligence match would progress. I suspected that, over time, Hiccup would learn how to outmanipulate the manipulator and beat Viggo at his own game - though in a way that demonstrated kindness and mercy rather than a drive for one’s own profit. I suspected that Hiccup would grow from being extremely frustrated about Viggo, feeling as though there’s no way he can beat the villain, to the person making Viggo unsettled and worried. There would be a turn of tides, with Hiccup eventually gaining the upper hand. That was my prediction.

Nevertheless, the fact that this is not what occurred still doesn’t mean it wasn’t an interesting and fitting way to end Viggo’s role as a villain. In fact, Viggo’s ending is fitting to his flaws in multiple respects - both in terms of Hiccup’s interactions, and in terms of Viggo’s character itself.

First, the fact that Viggo never becomes overwhelmingly bested by Hiccup means that Viggo will forever remain as the character who could outsmart Hiccup. Viggo retains his legacy forever, this way, which is actually sort of fitting. We don’t have an all-powerful protagonist who can magically outdo people at their own strengths. We have a villain who still gets defeated, but retains his legacy of his strengths. Viggo’s identity never unravels.

Hiccup still manages to outdo Viggo by throwing away the Dragon Eye, but it’s not an “outhinking”, so much. It shows Hiccup doesn’t have to become Viggo to best Viggo. Furthermore, it shows Hiccup’s growth from being obsessed about the Dragon Eye to the point he endangers his friends (Dragon Eye of the Beholder Part 2)… to being willing to sacrifice it because of the people he cares about - it’s not Hiccup becoming better than Viggo, but Hiccup becoming better at being Hiccup. Then, this event could help Hiccup grow into who he is by HTTYD 2, someone who doesn’t believe he can do everything (since he never got to outdo Viggo at his own game, in full).

Last, what happens is that Viggo’s core identity - that of a manipulator - is what leads to his own downfall. Viggo leads to Viggo’s own fall. It’s Shakespearian. It’s nice. It’s fitting to have him end in the way where his own strengths becomes his undermining weaknesses.

Viggo’s greatest strengths are his control over the dragon hunters, his manipulative abilities, and his desires for profits (which in turn fuels him to hunt dragons, seek the Dragon Eye, and thus clash with Hiccup so adamantly). These are what make him a villain to be contended with against Hiccup. All these things lead to his downfall in RTTE S4.

Viggo’s gripping control is what makes him a leader. But Viggo’s gripping control is what sours his relationship with his brother and turns Ryker against him (debatably - we’ll never know how much of that incident was staged trickery and how much was genuine rebellion). But more obviously, Viggo’s desire for profit and ability to manipulate is what led to his direct end. Viggo tried to manipulate Hiccup with Astrid. That backfired. It led to a situation where Hiccup had to throw away the Dragon Eye. Viggo wanted to get hold of the Dragon Eye - it was his pursuit from start to end of his role as villain - it’s how he could extend his profits as a dragon hunter. But his own drive for the Dragon Eye, the very reason that he was such a contender and dangerous enemy for Hiccup… is what led to him trying to grab the Dragon Eye… and thus falling to his death.

Had Viggo not wanted the Dragon Eye, he wouldn’t have been an enemy to contend with. But had Viggo not wanted the Dragon Eye, then he wouldn’t have fallen as he did.

So Viggo’s ending is superbly fitting to his character. The reasons why he butted heads with villain and became a dangerous villain are what became his downfall. Viggo brought about Viggo’s own end there at the end of S4. And that’s very fitting.

Now, it’s true that it might have felt anticlimactic in its execution, and I agree, but the concept is really something I can get behind. REALLY something I can get behind.

5. RTTE S4 wraps up basically everything with the Viggo plot arc.

Viggo’s antagonist story doesn’t need to be continued. It is, in many ways, self-contained between seasons two through four. The main plot of Viggo bothering the youths through the dragon hunters and battling over the Dragon Eye is now done. The Dragon Eye is gone, after all. And even the problem of Hiccup needing to best Viggo to save the dragons is finished. Assuming Viggo and Ryker never come back, the dragon hunters won’t harm the dragons any more. The dragon riders have victory in all the areas that they need for the plot arc. They’re not going to be bothered by those dragon hunters again. Story closed.

So there’s no need to extend the plot arc with Viggo. We’ve gotten a full narrative arc with an ending that concludes just about everything that needs to be concluded.

Rather, I would prefer if we spent the next two seasons exploring the new plot device they’ve opened up with Krogan. If he becomes the main antagonist in the next two seasons, then that would make a lot of sense, have room for development, and make for a good lead-in to HTTYD 2 by the end of S6.

Now, the last thing I want to say is that, just because *I* think that it is better plot-wise on many fronts for Viggo to be dead… doesn’t mean he has to be dead. It doesn’t mean that this is the route the writers will take. My comments are not predictive, they’re just what I think would be best for the story were I writing it myself. It’s totally possible for Viggo to make a reappearance. I wouldn’t be all that astonished if it happened. But for me, personally, I want this to be the wraps on the Viggo story arc, for the reasons I outlined above! XD

#wickedwinterwillow #long post #pixie-dustss #rtte #Race to the Edge #DreamWorks Dragons #Viggo #Viggo Grimborn #my analysis #analysis #ask #ask me

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sleepymarmot · 7 years

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DS9 season 4 liveblog

[Season index: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 PS]

The Way of the Warrior

they changed the music! I liked the original arrangement better. I guess they decided that if they have to change the opening titles, better redo them from scratch?

I love how the Klingon general dramatically cuts his hand. It's like looking at the origins of an ancient ritual which real and very important meaning has long been forgotten. Tbh I thought the crew would do the same in the previous episode, but they went for the less dramatic blood tests :D

How was the Obsidian Order destroyed? The Dominion destroyed the fleet that the Order wasn't even supposed to have. What about all of their normal agents, infrastructure, gathered intelligence?

"Not like you? Impossible" (note: as I prepare to publish this post, having just finished season 5, it seems this line was the last time they ever shared a flirty moment... rip garashir 1993-1995)

finally!

please stop reminding me about that awful movie thanks

Poor Worf is so awkward as usual

"And I find you offensive. Now hold up your arm, or I'll have the security do it for you"

"Captain Sisko bet me that you would thank him for the rescue before you started complaining." "I lost."

The Visitor

I have a hard time becoming invested in stories like this, when I know that the entire timeline would be undone by the end. The final scene did manage to make me tear up a bit, but overall I'm not impressed. At least it's not outright terrible like The Inner Light...

Hippocratic Oath

Wait, did Bashir get promoted between seasons?

I don't think that joke about Keiko was very good :\ But this is the second time Miles comes really close to confessing his love for Julian... what's up with that

seriously, why does the new theme have such a messy rhythm? it's as if the beat is out of sync with the melody

Odo is such an unusual security officer, of course there's conflict between him and Worf. I'm glad they're addressing this!

of course O'Brien does a transporter trick

oh come oooon O'Brien do you really need to be such a jerk this week

Sisko is nicer to Worf than I expected

the last scene between Bashir and O'Brien is very poignant

Indiscretion

The runabout scene with Kira and Dukat is unsettling because this rhetoric is too real...

The Worst Field Trip(tm)

Julian & Jadzia's Judging Corner: priceless

honestly the absolute last thing i expected was for Dukat's butt to get so much attention...

Ziyal looks much younger than someone who was 13yo six years ago

halfway through the episode I thought Ziyal would be that Cardassian girl from season 2, I mean there was a reason for that scene, right? right?

great episode

Rejoined

Oh, Dax got promoted too

Trill society sounds dumber and dumber with each episode

Kahn is so beautiful, charming and well-dressed. damn

how did my mom manage to walk into the room just as they kissed? is that a special parent talent

;_;

"your work produced the first artificially created wormhole in history" not counting, you know, THE wormhole

welp. a romance episode finally made me cry :(

Starship Down

Wait, is the alien played by Odo's actor?

this is like a really boring version of "Disaster"...

Dax knows Bashir now better than a year ago? He hasn't changed much over the past year, the difference is rather between seasons 1-2 and later ones, plus they seemed pretty good friends in season 1 already, not like "she was avoiding him" -- in fact, I thought she was his only friend at the time. Their body language is cute as hell though.

Damn, I could hardly keep track of the plot in this one... or why the characters were saying what they were saying... how dull

you know what was the selling point of The Disaster? characters in unusual combinations and roles! I see none of this here...

Little Green Men

ew using someone else's tooth sharpener

omg Odo! :D

what, Klingons and Vulcans didn't have warp drive by 20th century?

The Sword of Kahless

what, this was the little boy we saw in TNG? Klingon children sure grow fast...

is this sword telepathically infected or something?

So, when Worf was acting OOC he wasn't under outside influence? okay... I enjoyed this episode, but under the assumption that Worf's dishonorable actions would be explained

Our Man Bashir

Bashir's taste is about as lame as Picard's...

"I think I joined the wrong intelligence service"

"This is more than I ever wanted to know about your fantasy life" same tbh... it's enough to remember these gross tropes exist somewhere out there, I don't need them in Star Trek reenacted by my faves

This just made me remember how much I dislike James Bond... We just had a cheesy 20th century pastiche two episodes ago, but at least I don't have anything against that genre. Not to judge what people do behind the holosuite's closed doors, but it's pretty offputting to see a 24 century man so enamored with this sexist fiction. And I have pretty much the same reaction to kisses with not-Kira and not-Dax as in the Mirror Universe episode, though to a lesser degree; that was pretty gross and exploitative. It's as if someone decided that the show wasn't straight enough after Rejoined and decided to compensate...

Also I think this was the first time ever that Bashir wasn't happy to see Garak. It feels strange and sad...

I expected Garak to spend all episode making fun of silly tropes, but the little he said was pretty weak. Though I liked the confrontation in the end and the way Bashir repeated Garak's speech.

And I don't think they even took advantage of the J. B. initials. Come on! :D

Homefront

"I prefer Klingon beliefs. Our gods are dead. Ancient Klingon warriors slew them a millennia ago. They were more trouble than they were worth." I think I prefer Klingon beliefs too...

Why did Sisko put on TNG-type uniform?

Is that Leah Brahms?

Very relevant story about security vs civil rights, and it's very fitting for Odo to be here -- not just because of the plot. I really like the thematic unity between the changeling storyline and Odo's personal issues as a character.

Come on, it's so easy to deprive the entire planet of power?

Paradise Lost

This title is very ominous...

Cadet Shepard haha

I think I've heard this boast... "We have five million Cybermen. How many are you?" "Four." "You would destroy the Cybermen with four Daleks?" "We would destroy the Cybermen with one Dalek!"

So, Earth and DS9 can communicate in real time? But in the previous episode, DS9 "received a recording of a high level diplomatic conference that took place on Earth a few days ago". I assumed the delay was due to the distance, but apparently not -- was the recording just classified before someone decided to send it to Sisko?

Wait, what President's speech? Did I miss something?

I liked the first part better. So, the changeling terrorist attack on the same week was just a coincidence? Everyone seemed to forget about that...

Crossfire

Odo/Kira scene is cute instead of irritating for once

"You could hear that?" "*points to lobes* Hello?"

"I have reason to believe someone is planning to assassinate First Minister Shakaar" and by someone you mean Winn?

Odo and Worf discussing security and order!

are they replacing Odo/Kira/Bareil with Odo/Kira/Shakaar? How many nice but bland Bajoran dudes can be in love with her?

"Frankly, I don't care whether you and Major Kira end up living happily ever after or not. I just want to see the situation resolved" same

ok, I get it, falling in love makes you very upset, bad at your job, and is sad and frustrating to watch on tv screen. nothing new here

Return to Grace

"Is that what you kept track of during the occupation? No wonder you lost"

"It bothers him, you know. Very much. He talks about it sometimes" crocodile tears... literally

some men just won't take a hint...

wait, since it was previously mentioned that Cardassian flirting is bickering, does Dukat genuinely misinterpret Kira and think he's got a chance here??

so much for keeping Klingon secrets from the Cardassians...

There's something about this dynamic I really appreciate, but I can't yet articulate it. The way Kira confidently and unflinchingly deflects all the bullshit he sends her way? How she is allowed to be right in her unforgiving stance? That being civil and working together with someone and seeing their better side does not mean all their past (and present) misdeeds are forgotten and they're suddenly your friend? Maybe this is the infamous "grey morality" done right -- not the indiscriminate tolerance and moral relativism, but allowing the other side to plead their case without losing sight of what made them "the other side" in the first place.

Sons of Mogh

Jadzia has a great "I'm gonna fuck that" face

"Charged with murder?" Have these people never heard of assisted suicide?

"I don't give a damn about Klingon beliefs, rituals or custom" ohhh so when we talk about Bajoran religion we all have to be tolerant and culturally sensitive and understanding, but Klingons are not allowed to perform their own rituals among themselves?

Wait, did Kurn consent to this or?...

A second good Klingon episode in the season that is tainted by the heroes' inexplicable immoral decisions. Last time Mr. Honor attemped murder in the most dishonorable day possible; this time ritual assisted suicide was deemed outrageous but likely nonconsensual mindwipe is an acceptable solution. The former can be headcanoned away with the assumption that the sword had some curse on it. My headcanon for the latter: people other than Sisko wouldn't have objected to the ritual (Dax canonically, O'Brien was implied to), so they accepted Worf's other solution on the same grounds.

Bar Association

Haha, Odo brings up Rascals, one of TNG's most ridiculous security failures :D

"Have you have any idea how bored I used to get sitting in the Transporter room waiting for something to break down? Here, I've a half dozen new problems every day. This station needs me" Damn, I hoped he got to do something interesting that we just weren't shown...

Wait, O'Brien got into a physical fight with Worf of all people?!

"If this was Ferenginar, I'd have you all taken to the Spire of the Tower of Commerce, displayed to the crowds in the Great Marketplace below, then shoved off, one by one. Small children would bet on where you would land, and your spattered remains would be sold as feed mulch for gree-worms" lol remember Quark's little speech about Ferengi not being barbaric?

I really care about this messed up family...

Yaaaaay I'm so happy for Rom! :D

Ferenginar sounds no less oppressive than Cardassia. I want a revolution! You know what, now that the Dominion has kindly disposed of the Tal Shiar and the Obsidian Order, can it take the FCA next? I, for one, would welcome our new gelatinous overlords in this case...

(I'm not a fan of that Leeta/Bashir background noise, thank you very much.)

Accession

"Quark, did you hear? Chief O'Brien is having a baby!" "I thought your females carried your young."

people from the past should stay in the past... apparently only 50 years ago Bajor was a pretty oppressive place too...

"Maybe you never realised this, Captain, but we would've tried to do whatever you asked of us when you were Emissary, no matter how difficult it seemed" well that's creepy

oh come on Kira, don't follow your religion so blindly...

O'Brien and Bashir is the real love story of this show istg

oh god they have an untouchable caste too

and of course the aliens can't tell which is the true Emissary because the word "first" isn't in their vocabulary lol

The aliens say "First. Later. They have no meaning to us." -- and in the same conversation use grammatical tense to indicate the order of events: "This IS the one that WAS injured." "He WAS injured" "We KEPT him with us" "The Sisko TAUGHT us" -- so they must have some perception of time

"We are of Bajor" oh? since when do you even know that word? did the poet teach you?

these two are so awkward that poor Keiko has to play matchmaker for her own husband :D bless her

I'm not sure I'm comfortable with the direction of this story... Sisko was completely right to feel uncomfortable as a saint for a religion he doesn't believe in of planet he's not from, but it turned out he's so awesome that the Prophets chose him over the man from this culture who fits the descriptions in the sacred texts. Because only an enlightened human can lead the silly natives -- by following one of their own they'd go back to the dark ages! Yuck.

I've seen more than half of the show now... time flies fast.

Rules of Engagement

Courtroom episode!

I like the clever cinematography & editing

Hard Time

Poor O'Brien...

Well. This was really upsetting. I've been crying for several minutes now.

TNG repeatedly failed to show the recovery after a character's traumatic experience -- specifically, Picard's loss of time in The Inner Light and imprisonment and torture in Chain of Command. DS9 finally delivers an episode just about that -- even if the next week the status quo will be restored and I'll have the same complaint.

What Miles goes through is completely horrific -- so much that I can't imagine how one can survive that. Even as a viewer I want to wipe this from my memory and pretend it didn't happen... For my own peace of mind I'm gonna pretend O'Brien's friend was a part of the simulation, and later he managed to erase it all from his mind somehow.

Now I kinda want a story where the characters become self-aware and O'Brien decides to get away from his sadistic writers (and Bashir helps him, sacrificing their friendship for O'Brien's well-being).

Shattered Mirror

Always nice to see Worf's hair loose

Well, at least Dax is angry at Sisko for the rape by deception...

Why is Kira still wearing that shit...

at this rate you won't have any characters left for the next episode

The Muse

will this adult woman leave Jake alone

poor Sisko

Odo: "Actually, I have some free time and I was wondering if you wanted to take a walk." Worf: "I would." Odo: "I meant Lwaxana."

"Well, just don't go do what I did. Look for someone to fix your broken heart then end up pregnant and on the run." "I don't think there's too much danger of that happening."

aah Odo makes her a blanket! (well, I guess he owed her a night of sleep on his lap...) this entire scene was so sweet

eww not the pedo woman again

why must I watch this

Odo and Lwaxana playing hide-and-seek!!! this is the best thing ever

oh my god this is such a fanfic trope

ew can I just fast-forward through this?

"If you don't mind, this is a very special moment for me"

"You know, for a minute there, I really believed you wanted to marry me" ahh poor Odo's face :( even when he literally declares he wants someone in his life, that person thinks he didn't mean it...

aaaaaah! the goodbye scene!!! Lwaxana is so good! this is so significant and beautiful, this is Lwaxana recognizing and preventing her biggest negative trait/habit (pursiung and harassing disinterested men) with one of her more rarely shown positive traits (compassion and emotional intelligence)

i don’t know what to say about an episode where the main story is 0/10 but the side story is 10/10

For the Cause

Finally, some info on replicator sharing policy! "The Federation only gave Bajor two CFI [industrial] replicators”

"If she's really a Maquis, then she's no longer a Federation citizen" wait what?! I thought this was the entire reason Starfleet had to keep them in check -- because they were Federation outlaws! have they proclaimed their own state while I wasn't looking?

have they recast Ziyal? she looks different

I don't appreciate all this UST

"I would not become a terrorist. It would be dishonourable" "I wouldn't say that around Major Kira if I were you"

she... invites him... to a SAUNA??! ohhh my god whyyyyyy who wrote this

You go Kira!

okaaay I definitely missed something major about the Maquis formally leaving the Federation

well at least Cardassians enjoy their saunas fully dressed, that's a relief. the idea of lizard people lying around on heated rocks for relaxation is actually really cute, though

To be honest, I was dreading Garak's scenes in this episode. It seems that the writers ran out of Mysterious Past and Unclear Motivations to hint at, and stripped of that he's just... not particularly interesting. Plus, this episode confirmed my unpleasant impression that starting with this season, the producers/writers decided to forcibly drag Garak and Bashir away from each other and throw girls at them no matter how random and/or inappropriate it looks. At least they recast Ziyal so now she actually looks 19 instead of 13! (The problem is, in the previous episode she acted like a child, too, and you can't forget that she's a generation younger, so it's still pretty gross.)

Eddington's point about assimilation would have worked better without the rest of that inane speech. "Why is the Federation so obsessed with the Maquis? We've never harmed you" -- They're obsessed because you're a threat to their foreign relations, what's so hard to understand about that? "We've left the Federation" -- When? When?! Left Starfleet, sure, but the Federation?! Isn’t that the entire reason Starfleet is pursuing them -- because the Federation is responsible for handling its citizens and stopping them from committing crimes against its neighbor!?

To the Death

Iconians -- that's from "Contagion", right?

I like this guy...

"What is the point of doing battle if you cannot enjoy the fruits of victory?" "You mean sleep?" :D

I love how Whatshisname casually gives out the white, rolling his eyes and barely moving attention from his plate -- so different from the Jem'Hadar perspective we saw in Hippocratic Oath!

"I didn't know that was public knowledge." "You told Commander Dax." "Well, that explains it."

O'Brien's answer to the Jem'Hadar! "I am Chief Miles Edward O'Brien. I'm very much alive and I intend to stay that way"

The Quickening

bwahaha

whoa, a city? if it the first one we've seen in the Gamma Quadrant? lovely matte painting

of course they make everything worse. Because being Culturally Advanced and Civilized won't always instantly solve any problem, and hospices and euthanasia aren't evil.

"I was so arrogant I thought I could find one in a week." "Maybe it was arrogant to think that. But it's even more arrogant to think there isn't a cure just because you couldn't find it." Good one, Dax! We're really going back to the pivotal traits of his character in this episode. (Someone on the writing staff: "Hmm, we haven't mentioned Julian's arrogance and hero/savior complex for a couple of months...")

He swallows his pride and decides to stay! I'm proud

I did have a suspicion that the pregnancy would solve everything...

I'm really glad the local doctor wasn't villainized! When Bashir was setting up his clinic I was afraid that he'd raise the townspeople to destroy it or something.

Bashir has more luck with medical episodes than Crusher and Pulaski...

Body Parts

Jadzia's female solidarity!

Alright, how is this one episode going to fit in Keiko's pregnancy (and presumably childbirth?), Quark's condition, Brunt, and Garak?

Federation technology is amazing...

Second time someone calls DS9 a "Cardassian monstrosity". That would make a good tumblr url... Wait, it's not even taken -- I'm very tempted...

of course Brunt bought him, why else would he be in the opening credits? :D this is so beautifully malicious

finally an episode that makes Quark look like a good person

Garak's face says "Killing you sounds like a great idea" :D :D

This is the most delightfully bizarre way to handle an actress' pregnancy :D

QUARK SHOPPING FOR MURDER-SUICIDE OPTIONS WITH GARAK = AMAZING

(not to mention very relatable...)

This is Garak's best outing in the entire season, tbh :D

Don't forget to undo your contract with Garak...

aww

This was a blast! This is a huge step in Quark's character development: following Nog and Rom, now he decides to break his society's rules. I'm very happy. ...But what about Garak, though?

Broken Link

Poor Odo...

aw encouraging Quark

"I'm thinking of asking Julian to come live with us. Even things up a little" Is that the only reason? ;)

"Captain, I want to be judged. I'm the only changeling who's ever harmed another. I've spent most of my life bringing people to justice. Now that it's my turn, how can I run away?"

"Don't tell me you'd object to a little genocide in the name of self-defence?" This is such a Cardassian line...

Why human and not Bajoran?

Oh Odo, just as he got comfortable with his identity as a shape-shifter... :/

General impressions:

Bashir in season 4, a summary: "Friendship ended with Garak, now Miles O'Brien is my best friend" Seriously, though... O'Brien and Bashir's relationship has become one of my favourite parts of the show. They got lots of good content this season: countless casual/humorous scenes, conflict in Hippocratic Oath, need for each other's company in Accession, talking down from suicide in Hard Time... And Garak was the most underwhelming part of the season for me, both himself and his relationship with Bashir -- or lack of it. I'm not even asking for shippy stuff, I know it's not going to be canon, but can't they just share screentime and enjoy each other's company, like they did before and Bashir does with O'Brien now?

And while the writers seem unsure what to do with Garak now, Dukat continues to be incredibly entertaining. Need a personification of Cardassian oppression? An unwanted ally the protagonist(s) would barely tolerate? A pompous prick to make fun of? A dangerously charismatic speaker -- or a windbag who thinks himself much cooler than he is? A relatively sympathetic opponent to provide "grey morality"? Well, here's all of that in one character! And my favourite thing is that despite being so immoral, he's not actually an enemy plot-wise (at least so far), so instead of fighting, defeating, and getting him out of the picture, the heroes just keep telling him how much he sucks. An interesting antagonist with a decent amount of screentime -- the dream. But all of that was about the character in general, and my favourite thing about his two episodes in this season is that he's self-aware of his status as a Complex Antagonist and completely overestimates the "complex and sympathetic" part, and (mis)casts himself as some kind of sexy byronic antihero whose deep and rich inner world will eventually win over the feisty heroine. Meanwhile, Kira is really not into villain/protagonist pairings and just wants the creepy guy responsible for genocide against her people to leave her alone. This was filmed twenty years ago but looks like a parody/deconstruction of currently popular ships like reylo or solavellan -- I find it really hilarious. (Maybe I’d feel more grossed out than amused if his behavior disturbed Kira more -- but she seems so gloriously unimpressed!)

I generally like Klingons and was glad to see Worf again, all of his episodes had something that stopped me from fully enjoying them.

It was my impression that Kira’s screetime got reduced because of Nana Visitor’s pregnancy -- and it was actually a good thing for the show! I feel bad saying this about one of the only two main female characters, but Kira is obviously the writers’ favorite, and got the most attention over the past seasons, so stepping back a bit let other characters shine more.

#star trek #ds9 #blah blah blah

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takerfoxx · 7 years

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“Fires of the Sun, Part 5″ Thoughts

It's a little hard to look back at these chapters months later and try to remember exactly when and why I made some of the decisions I made. However, for Utsuho, I'm pretty sure she got a major promotion from satellite character who'd show up maybe once an arc and be all nice and endearingly dumb to sort of the secondary hero of Fires of the Sun mainly because I loved her speech to Rin so much. Hell, depending on where you stand on Rin as an anti-hero, Utsuho really is the most classically heroic. Characters really can surprise you sometimes, and in this case she fully won me over just by being a genuinely good person who reached out to Rin when she had no good reason to. It sort of makes me want to have more interactions with those two in the future, though at this point I really have no idea how.

Another reason for her upgrade was me scrapping another, darker storyline. The original plan following The Storm was to have Yuuka release Satori from her crystal and then go on methodically torture her by forcing horrific images into her head over a course of several weeks, mostly for shits and giggles. I ended up not having room for that during this arc, and was going to just push it up to the next one, with Yuuka having managed to hang onto Satori's crystal after Elly rescued her, but in the end I just got rid of it entirely. I dunno, I know it's a dark fic and all that, but seriously, at what point do things just get cruel for the sake of it? I couldn't think of any of any real outcome for that sideplot other than to show how much of a monster Yuuka was, and we'd already had plenty of that. And with FotS ending on a bittersweet note, I wanted one unambiguously happy ending. So despite being betrayed and abandoned by Sakuya, she stepped up, took charge, fought her way through Yuuka's remaining plants (while dropping shoutouts to Wargames and The Last Starfighter along the way. Yay classic sci-fi!), stood her ground, and saved the day for her team, none of which lost any members and all of which came to finally respect her. So, yay Utsuho!

Rin's ongoing fight with Yuuka started with a scene that I almost scrapped as well but was able to use after all: albeit under somewhat different circumstances. Like I mentioned a few days ago, I had this one scene planned where Yuuka's just beating Rin to a pulp, Rin starts to feel that since she can't adapt she can't keep taking those blows, only for her to realize that she had at least built up an incredible tolerance for pain and managed to finally get up, stop Yuuka cold, and then pretty much start slamming her back and forth into the walls and floor like a Looney Tunes cartoon. Then I think the mob was supposed to break through the ground and send everything into chaos or something. Well, the whole fighting through the pain thing ended up happening way earlier when Yuuka was zapping her with the ring, and the mob thing ended up ending in a completely different manner due to reasons that I no longer remember (I think I wanted to avoid further distractions and just keep the final sequence between Rin, Yuuka, and Flandre). And as a result, I almost dropped Rin playing Whack-a-mole with Yuuka's body as well. But it snuck in, and Rin got to drive her through a bunch of pillars to boot. So, yay violence!

I got more of a kick out of Sir Fly than I expected. The dude is just so gentlemanly! And I got to wrap up the whole bug thing in a satisfactory manner. So yeah, always happy to see investments pay off. Though come to think of it, I could have given them a better exit. I just checked the next chapter, and there's like one sentence making mention of them leaving and that's it. Oh well.

Though by the by, Yuuka's screechy flower minions (which were a callback to the flowers that taunted Team Nineball when they first arrived in Yuuka's mansion, waaaaaaaay back in God I don't even remember) are totally patterned after Mad Dummy from Undertale. Hey, I didn't get to include Undyne, so I had to make it up to myself somehow. Besides, Undertale was all the rage back then.

And yes, it made me giggle to smash Rin through the fountain and have it pour water on her butt. Because I'm an adult.

One recurring problem I did have through this whole thing was the fact that Flandre was sort of kept in the dark about Patchouli's death. Hell, I didn't get to fit in her finding out about the SDM gang even being there until the previous chapter, and that took some forcing (at least I got a Rin/Flandre hug out of it). Granted, Rin had a lot on her plate at the time and just didn't have time to break the news to her. Or rather, I didn't have the room for a fully emotional breakdown on Flandre's part. I made the time for her to react to Sakuya's supposed "death" here because, well, things were wrapping up and it needed to be dealt with. I eventually decided to tie that final bombshell with Sakuya's later attempt on Rumia's life, even though I knew Flandre's reaction would make the scene messy, but more on that later.

Rin's reaction to getting stabbed with the mordite knife took some work. RoSD already established that Hourai Immortal's freedom from death was absolute, so of course nobody was going to die, but I wanted to drive home just how incredibly potent even that small speck imbued into steel was. The little trip back into RoSD did that nicely, with the little monologue on pain and showing that not even Kaguya and Mokou could withstand the agony, even as deep down as they were. I think I wanted to also show Nue and Mamizou being affected as well, but cut that for being sort of redundant. Or something. However, looking back on these chapters, I did make sometime of a mistake. I wanted to have one last Kaguya and Mokou at the end, showing them waking up just fine on the beach, bitching at each other over what had happened, and Kaguya storming away in an angry huff. But…I seem to have forgot. So…whoops.

Anyway, I had to keep redoing Rin's own internal monologue so it wasn't a rehash of Kaguya's. In hindsight it was a little long, especially since Kaguya already covered the essentials. But that's all right, because right after that I got to do one of my favorite things: go into my Chekov's armory, grab some long-forgotten plot device, and bring it back in horrifying fashion! Here, it's Yuuka's ability to read souls through staring into people's eyes. Why she doesn't use it more often, I don't know, nor am I motivated enough to bullshit a reason. Regardless, the last (and only) time she used it was to fact check Rin's history and subject her to a bunch of painful flashbacks. Here it was a little more abstract. Instead of memories, she went for baggage. She essentially fused Rin and Flandre's minds together and put them through a series of…I dunno, hallucinations? Nightmares? Well, representations of what burdened them the most. The first, in which they're strapped down and unable to stop Eirin from experimenting on Rumia showed how helpless they often felt, despite their immense power. The second, in which they stood trial, was more on the guilt they carried for the many and many innocent people they had accidentally hurt or even killed, and their fear that everyone would eventually turn on them because of it. And the last was their fear of being alone, of being locked up and abandoned in the dark like they had been for so long, and how much they preferred death to such a fate. Damn, I am so glad I ended up pairing them off, because they really do have a LOT in common. Though on a side-note, I did have a scene in mind in which a gate to Hell would open up in the darkness and suck up that crystal coffin, leading to it to fall into a giant eye made of fire, which would then transition into the giant Yuuka that taunted them. Why didn't I go through with it? Because I was really tired and creatively spent and just wanted to get this chapter up already. Looking back, I now wish I had just gone through with it and made it work, because it would have been a cool way to bridge things.

Flandre's childish crush on Marisa harkens back to the single scene they shared, in which an over-enthusiastic Flandre almost glomps Marisa to death. At the time it was just a funny bit, but once again it ended up paying off as a long-term investment where I got to show why Flandre likes Marisa so much. It's because Marisa was nice to her, when no one else was. She showed her a small, kind gesture that the witch probably forgot about a moment later but ended up meaning the world to Flandre. And it gave her the will to push back against Yuuka, and force her into a tour of her own greatest failures: the moment she was initially ejected from Yidhra (which was a total BITCH to write), completely with Nyarly making a little cameo, followed by Yuuka's first failed attempt to fit in with humans, and then showed that initial fourth wall break from her POV and capping things off with the moment in which Marisa fully broke her spirit by simply refusing to give her the satisfaction. And on a meta sense, we then get to see the moment she's finally kicked off the center stage, with Rin and Flandre literally dragging her out of the spotlight. A quick montage of everyone else wiping out the rest of the Mykr's Sirens follows (and I never want to see those again, let me tell you), and Rin finally gets to deliver (for her at least) the final blow. By saying "kyuu."

Hey, it's a Touhou fic. You have to make some allowances.

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nexrp4 · 6 years

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❝ It’s never occurred to me that the stars are still up there shining even in the daytime when we can’t see them. ❞

B A S I C S –

Name: Andrea Scotland “Scott” Livingston-Atkins Birthday: March 15, 1974. Pronouns: He/Him Gender/Sex: Male/Male. Occupation: High School Student

P E R S O N A L I T Y —

+ Loyal and zealous. - Audacious and reckless.

B A C K G R O U N D —

RAPE & ABUSE // From the minute Andrew Livingston, the heir to the luxuriant real estate empire created by his family divorced his heiress wife to marry an unknown, meagre, small-town girl who worked as his secretary, the affluent scene of New York City broke in gossip and speculation. Ada Atkins was no one in the eyes of society, but she had managed to fit well over the years with elegance and a charismatic façade she had accustomed herself to have. After a few months of wait, the suspicions where answered when the one and only heir to the fortune the Livingston had amassed over the years was born. Andrea Scotland Livingston-Atkins was the apple of his parent’s eyes, he was born into a position where everything he asked for was given to him. From the simplest task to the most expensive objects, the boy had grown up surrounded by maids and butlers waiting for orders and nannies who’d raise him along with his mother, who happened to enjoy tea with her newfound society friends than to raise her child. His father was rarely interested on his upbringing, occupied with work and infatuated with his wife, he rarely saw the child as someone he’d want to spend his time with. As far as he was concerned, he was only that, a child with no important opinions and if he was well fed, tended to and alive then there was nothing else he needed.

Growing up, he had been groomed to be polite, courteous and a gentleman. He had learned everything from private tutors his mother would hire, only to have bragging rights at brunch on how her son was better than her friends’. From countless classes on manners and etiquette, which became obsolete when he reached his teen years to entering the best Catholic private school his father’s money could afford, Scott’s life had been a succession of decisions that were made for him by his parents. As much as he enjoyed being spoiled and spending his money recklessly, he lacked the freedom of choosing something for himself. The wealth and luxuries that surrounded him were balanced by his mother’s insistence on the family visiting her hometown every now and then, even if it meant she’d have to drag her son along to a small town and away from the big city.

At the age of sixteen, accompanied by his clique of wealthy teens who were just as bad as him and just as careless, he had decided to disregard every decision his parents had made. His charm and extroverted traits had helped him meet a circle of friends who’d not only praise his reckless decisions but also helped and supported him throughout his path of destruction. Party after party and scandal after scandal, his father’s patience ran thinner by the second. The first time it was pictures of him drunk; the second, he crashed his car while under the influence; the third, his friends and him had decided that keying his school’s principal’s car wasn’t enough, they wrecked the vehicle until it was just a carcass of metal and glass. But the one thing that made his father turn into someone who seemed wise and quiet into a completely different version of himself, the last straw for him was when compromising pictures of his son had surfaced. It wasn’t the fact that he was partying recklessly or engaging in dangerous behavior, it was the thought that his son was with another male in the pictures; his head buried between the legs of the other in what seemed like a club.

The first time, it was just a loud argument where names were thrown and threats were waved; Scott had nothing to be afraid of and his sharp tongue was still his best defence. The second time, it was just a punch that made him see spots for a few minutes and the third ended up with his body bruised and him crying in the bathroom as his mother watched in horror, but compliant. The summer of his junior year marked the start of his lack of a care if at sixteen he was starting to be difficult, then at seventeen, he was ready to empower himself with the word. The owned the most expensive cars and drank the finest alcohol, he’d be surrounded by a different girlfriend or boyfriend each week, making out with a new person at each party. His life was excessive, he craved the adrenaline that all of those things would provide and enjoyed the numbing effect it’d have on his mind. He’d take advantage of his family’s assets and name, the properties they owned would turn into party spots and dens for him and his friends to spend the time at. He’d had his fair share of kicking people out and being an asshole to many, gaining him the playboy reputation.

His life had changed greatly, his mother was the only force in his life that was constant and seemed to care, even if it was just comforting him after his father had an outburst again. He enjoyed the time he spent without him greatly, the nature of the family’s business kept him travelling throughout the world as the business expanded. Scott’s fears would return every few or so months whenever he had to face him again, the outgoing and laid back male would turn reserved and quiet whenever his father was home. His partying would subside and he’d do his best to please his father and just keep himself on the down low.

At the age of eighteen, he had already made a name for himself in the city. By taking advantages of his father’s travelling and his mother’s permissiveness, he had become the talk of the town by throwing parties that would be attended by New York’s young and rich. At one of his parties, a horrendous act was committed by his friends and he had seen it but did nothing in fear of losing the friendships he had worked to achieve. The result was that a girl was assaulted by his negligent friends. As the person who was responsible for throwing the party, he was in charge of whatever happened during it and he surely didn’t expect his friends to act that way and regretted even having that party, a party that ruined someone else’s life. His parents had agreed to pay for his representation, a plea deal was reached and injustice would end up as the result. He felt guilty for not acting in the correct manner, his disgust for the way his friends seemed to not care about the situation was just on par. After the case didn’t result in a conviction, his head was consumed with the thought of a “what if?” and he had wanted to right his wrongs, but his friends seemed to not care at all. Scott had slowly started to disassociate from his friendships, slowly caring less and less about them and as that happened, his lack of interest in his life had started to catch up with him. The parties he organized were over forever, his friends were gone and he was glad of that.

Getting held back on his senior year wasn’t a plan, his mother was disappointed and the silence that his father held along with his cold stare made a chill run down his spine every single time he’d look at him. After the many parties and the scandals, along with what happened at the party, this was the last straw before his mother had decided to finally take matters into her own hands and step up. Enough was enough and she sure as hell wasn’t going to let her son destroy himself before reaching the age of twenty-one. For the first time in his life, he was thankful that some order was being arranged again.

A R R I V A L — ( 1 9 9 2 )

After long talks with her husband, Scott’s mom had decided that perhaps a year away from the big city and a break from the drama of it would be good for him. She had finally given up brunching and gossiping to being a nurturing parent to her child, better sooner than later. The mistakes that he had committed along with the path he was taking with his life were enough to convince her to take action. A year away from his bank account, the luxuries of their New York Penthouse and the sports cars and fine alcohol would probably do more good for him.

For Scott, it seemed like a punishment. Redoing his senior year and not having access to his bank account were bad enough, but living in a small town and attending a school that was nothing like his old one while working to make money for at least some form of entertainment were baffling. The changes to his life were drastic, but he didn’t complain. He took whatever his mom threw at him and took it, deep down knowing that this was better than whatever his father had in store for him.

C O N N E C T I O N S —

Scarlett Atkins – The cousin. Scott’s constantly annoyed by how much better he thinks her life is, he sees her as a friend and even a sister at times (the one he never asked for). Wallace McCoy – Scott kicked out his family from a building they lived on, he used it as a lounge for him and his friends. Philippa Espina – The Partner in Crime. She was the first person who’d helped him adjust to his new life in town, they get up to no good together.

E X T R A B I T S —

–– Scott can play the piano, he learned at an early age due to his mother insisting on him learning to play an instrument. As much as he hated it and recitals, he can’t seem to forget how to stop playing. He also has a talent for painting, even though he enjoys it and it truly makes him happy; he’s embarrassed by it. –– He cares a lot about his appearance, spending an hour on his hair before leaving the house. His closet is way bigger than what people would normally expect, even if it consists of basic shirts and skinny jeans. –– He’s a fan of astrology and stargazing. He spends some nights laying down on the garden starring at the sky when everyone’s asleep. The only thing he likes about the town is that he can actually see stars at night.

PENNED BY LEXA.

#bio: lexa #bio: livingston #bio: atkins #bio: andrea livingston #*

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